


The Cubby

by wolfishthoughts



Series: What Could Have Been [2]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Georges cubby, Reed has some emotions, everything is sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 03:12:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10234559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfishthoughts/pseuds/wolfishthoughts
Summary: “They took George’s Cubby…”Reed is determined to find out just why this George person is so important, and why everyone is freaking out because she put her stuff in the guy's old cubby.A new look at the season 6 episode 'Invasion'.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, two stories in one night. This is a record. Really, I've been binge watching Greys to avoid doing my homework. So again, please ignore my horrible writing... 
> 
> Disclaimer, I own nothing.

Mercy West Residents are swarming the hospital; an invasion is what they were calling it. It really wasn’t even subtle- the gaudy orange scrubs they wore identifying them as new, as unwanted. It became obvious that it was not to be a simple or easy introduction into the already well-oiled machine that was Seattle Grace Hosp- make that Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. 

“They took George’s Cubby…” 

As she walks through the hospital, Reed overhears the Seattle Grace residents talking in some patient’s room. She pauses, out of site of the doorway. It was the crazy one’s voice, the one who lost it because she picked a random empty cubby this morning. George. Who the hell is George, and why does it matter if they took his cubby. She assumes, the reason that the crazy one, Izzy, freaked out was because the cubby she took this morning must have been this George’s cubby. Weird, is the only word that comes to mind. She makes a mental note to ask one of the non-crazy people in this hospital why this George person matters. 

~

Later, as she helps Dr. Bailey with a returning patient, she is reminded of the question she was meant to ask. 

“Dr. Bailey, I’m sure this resident is top-notch and all, but I was really hoping to have Dr. O’Malley again…” The patient lets their question die off, seeming to regret asking. Reed, is a little offended, but she guesses that if she was a repeat patient she would have staff favorites as well. Though, she realizes, that doesn’t explain the regretful and confused look of the patient.  
It doesn’t make sense, until she notices Dr. Bailey’s face. There is clear pain written all over her face, and while Dr. Bailey is working to hide it, it is clear as day. Reed works to hide her shock, for the short amount of time she has known Dr. Bailey she knows she is a “take no shit” kind of doctor. So, this blatant show of emotion is a little shocking. 

“Geo- Dr. O’Malley, is… uhm, no longer with us unfortunately…” Dr. Bailey stutters out. This only feeds Reed’s shock, Dr. Bailey was quiet and hesitant, two things she is not. Observing both her attending and the patient she can see the understanding shared between them. The patient seems to want to ask more, but doesn’t, merely laying a comforting hand on the attending’s. It takes a moment, but it eventually clicks in Reed’s mind, Dr. Bailey was about to say George. They conclude their interaction with the patient, the mood of the room less bright then when they had initially entered. Reed is determined to know more; however, she values her life and doesn’t dare approach Dr. Bailey. 

~

Reed is standing at the nursing station charting when she learns a little more about this George O’Malley. She had been muttering under breath as she charted, and honestly, she is a little embarrassed that the nurse sitting at the desk heard her. 

“George this, George that…. What is so important about this Dr. O’Malley…” she mutters, her pen strokes a little harsher than normal. 

“George was the best of them” The nurse’s voice is harsh, breaking Reed out of the charting frenzy she had been in. She looks up, making eye contact with the nurse, the nurse is pretty and has reddish hair, her name tag reads Olivia. Reed doesn’t say anything, but hopes she will go on. 

“He was a resident here, and he wasn’t like the rest of them. He was good” The nurse sighs, and looks back down at her own charting before putting down her pen and looking back up at Reed. “A few years ago, the nurses went on strike, do you remember?” Reed nods. “Well anyways, when all the other interns marched their way into the hospital, George didn’t. He was stuck, he knew he had obligations to his patients but he also didn’t want to cross the line, he was loyal to us, he respected us.” The nurse is lost in thought, this memory encompassing her. “Eventually, we had to force him across the line” She laughs, “We sent him with a list of things patients needed, and he did them. He was good. He would’ve made an amazing surgeon.” Olivia, the nurse, her eyes full of sadness, sighs and picks up her pen. 

“Would have…?” Reed finally speaks. Curiosity getting the best of her, letting her ‘holier than thou’ persona fall for a moment.

“Would have… he, he, he died.” The nurse doesn’t look up this time, but Reed can feel the pain in her voice. Reed opens her mouth to ask more, but the nurse quickly stands from the desk and briskly leaves. Reed, still standing at the desk, is left confused and wanting to know more. 

~

Reed is sitting in the cafeteria; the table is long and filled primarily with Mercy West staff with a few Seattle Grace techs at the far end. She is bragging about some surgery she had gotten to assist in when she hears a snort from the end of the table. She looks up, arching her brow in disdain, making eye contact with an X-Ray tech sitting a few seats down. He looks startled at her questioning glare. 

“Oh… sorry, it’s just you reminded me of Dr. Karev… He was really cocky, well he still is, but he used to be worse. Until one of his fellow interns completely showed him up” The tech reflects, he doesn’t bow down to her glare, merely answers her unspoken question. “anyways, this Dr. Karev and… Dr. O’Malley… they were both in their first year as interns” the tech pauses, looking briefly sad before continuing, “Were stuck in one of the elevators with this critical patient, the doors were pried open but the elevator was stuck between floors- the only thing they could fit through the gap was some surgical tools. The patient was crashing, and Dr. O’Malley had to crack his chest on his own with only the verbal instruction of the Cardio attending… It was Badass” The tech finished his story, gave Reed an evaluating look and promptly left the table. 

Reed didn’t let her surprise show when she turned back to her friends, ignoring their own looks of surprise. So, this Dr. O’Malley was kind, smart, a badass, and dead. 

~

Reed had had enough. Finally gathering her courage, she went to the person who was sure to know the whole story. Chief Webber. 

“Chief… I, well…” She stuttered, she had felt confident approaching the man but now she was unsure. How does she ask without sounding too insensitive?

“Spit it out Reed, I don’t have all day” The Chief stated, raising a single eyebrow.

“Ok. So basically, everyone has been talking about this Dr. O’Malley, and from what I’ve heard he was cool and all- but no one will tell me why it’s such a big deal that I took his cubby, I mean I know he died but it couldn't have been that bad...?” she rushed her question out, hesitantly looking at the chief when she finally got it out. His face visibly fell, and he leaned against the hallway wall. 

“O’Malley… A few weeks ago, this man was brought into the ER via ambulance. He had been hit by a bus.” The Chiefs voice is steady, but he had brought his hand to his forehead and was looking down. Like the thoughts, themselves were painful. “The prognosis for this John Doe was not good, He was completely unrecognizable and…” The chief paused, and took a deep breath. “I guess I need to explain that O’Malley was the first intern to go solo, the intern Appendectomy, it’s intended for them to screw up” The chief briefly looked up, making sure Reed was still following. “Anyways, O’Malley messed up, and his intern group nicknamed him 007” Finally the chief moved his hand, straightened up and made eye contact with Reed.  
“This John Doe, was going to die, there was only so much damage control we could do. I think he knew it too. Anyway, as we had him on a table he suddenly reached out and grabbed Dr. Grey’s hand. He tried to write something on her palm, it took a few tries for her to get what he was saying.” The Chief paused. “007, is what the John Doe wrote on her palm.” The Chief said with finality, and waited for Reed to catch up. 

“007… But?” Reed was confused, why would a John Doe write 007 on a doctor’s hand in their dying moments. And then it hit her. “O’Malley, John Doe was O’Malley” Reed was suddenly hit with the pain the others must have felt in that moment, trying to imagine if it had been Percy instead of George. Reed looked up at the chief, finally understanding the importance of that Cubby. “I…Uh, I need to go…Uhm Thank You for telling me” Reed nearly shouted, trying to convey her thanks before sprinting to the residents changing room. 

~  
The next day as the residents filed into the changing room, a specific cubby was notably empty. Reed watched as the craz- Izzy, paused in front of it. Her face confused, she looked around the room until she found Reed. Reed had no words to give her so she simply nodded. 

“Hey- Reed! Why did you move your stuff? The crazy scare you away?” One of the Mercy West residents said to her as they put their belongings into the cubby next to Reed’s new Cubby. 

“Hmm. Oh, No. It um- It needs to be empty.” Reed simply stated, vowing to explain it later. She looked one more time to Izzy, who was still standing in front of the now empty cubby and smiled to herself. Sure, they Invaded- but the least she could do was not take everything from them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, Please review and let me know what you thought!
> 
> Visit me on Tumblr @ Wolfishthoughts


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